Wednesday, May 23, 2012

News and Notes for Wednesday May 23, 2012

Hold the oil
pressherald.com--Green startup Ecospan aims to replace the petroleum in plastics with natural ingredients like vegetables. Read more.

UK benefits from oilseed industry collaboration
farminguk.com--Oilseed rape growers and advisors had the opportunity to explore recent breeding developments in oilseed rape and see how they can improve on-farm production and market dynamics at this season’s first NIAB Innovation Farm workshop ’Producing Quality Oilseeds.’ Read more.

European Bioplastics industry group claims recent US report not scientifically valid
plasteurope.com--Europe’s bioplastics industry association European Bioplastics has responded to the results of a new study on biobased plastics published recently in the US, saying the study “includes political parameters that are not necessarily scientifically backed up and cannot be seen as societal or academic consensus.” The association adds that the study is based on a limited number of bioplastic material types, which results in unbalanced conclusions, and that its proposals are outdated, with many recommendations already in place. Read more.

Status Report: Green Chemistry for Polymers
sustainableplant.com--At Green Polymer Chemistry 2012 in Cologne, Germany, Applied Market Information Ltd. (AMI) brought together experts from agriculture, chemical engineering, biotechnology and the polymer industry as well as sustainability managers from brand owners and the automotive sector to hear all the angles on this topic. Read more.

Sunflower can replace soy lecithin claims Sternchemie
foodnavigator.com--Baked goods manufacturers can use sunflower lecithin as an alternative to identity preserved (IP) soy lecithin if they are concerned about the latter being contaminated by genetically modified variants, claims Sternchemie. Read more.

ADM Expanding Production of CLARISOY™ to Meet Growing Customer Demand
prweb.com--Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has opened its first commercial-scale plant to make CLARISOY™, the world’s first vegetable-based protein that offers clarity and high-quality protein nutrition. The transparent, isolated soy protein will be available for customers looking to purchase commercial-scale quantities beginning in June. Read more.

FDA Speaks to Nanotech in Cosmetics, Foods, and Drugs
fdalawblog.net--The US Food and Drug Administration issued two draft guidance documents worthy of close examination for those with an interest in the use of emerging technologies, including nanotechnology, in the cosmetic and food industries. Further, FDA denied a citizen petition asking the agency to stop the marketing of sunscreen drug products that contain engineered nanoparticles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Read more.

Groups drop lawsuit over food nanotechnology
Capital Press--A lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over nanotechnology has been dismissed as moot. Last year, several non-profit groups filed a lawsuit alleging the agency unlawfully ignored their petition to regulate nanomaterials. Read more.

Bureaucrats Aim To Put Nanotech 'Under The Electron Microscope'
MarketWatch (News release)--Federal regulators want to launch a series of in-depth studies into the risks of nanotechnology and nano-scale materials. Read more.

What’s Up in Brazilian Biofuels? The 10-Minute Guide
biofuelsdigest.com--The top 20 trends and stories from biofuels’ most advanced commercial market, and its most intriguing focal point for expansion. Read more.

Advances in chromatography and spectroscopy
scientistlive.com--The best new releases focus on lower detection limits, better precision and improved productivity.Read more.

Global Surfactants Market is Changing
prweb.com--Over the next eight years, shares in demand of the individual world regions will shift significantly. The analysts from Ceresana forecast countries in Asia-Pacific to increase their shares in the global surfactant market - mainly at the expense of Western Europe and North America. In addition, South America will see strong growth, above all because of massive increases in production in Brazil. Read more.